The Importance of Balance

                            “Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life.”
                                                                                                 – Thomas Kinkade

I feel like in today’s society has this idea that healthy eating has its own set of rules, and if you don’t follow them, you are NOT eating healthy. For example who came up with the idea that you should only eat 3 meals a day and 1 snack?  Well if all you are eating is salad and no filling non-nutritious foods, you will not be getting the nutrients that you need.  I know this from personal experience. My freshman year of college I did not make the wisest food decisions.   Every morning, I would either skip breakfast or just have a coffee.  This did not give my body the energy it needed to complete my morning tasks.  I would eat salad for both lunch and dinner, and if not salad then I would have just plain meat like chicken or beef.  First, one person can only eat so much
salad before getting a stomachache, and second, eating just meat all day every day is just plain unhealthy.  My body was not producing the energy it needed, and I found myself feeling lethargic, and unfocused throughout the day.  Because of the lack of energy, I would never feel full, no matter how much salad I ate.  I am not kidding when I say I would be starving after just finishing a full meal.  This constant hunger led to me snacking more throughout the day.  Typically my choice would be plain protein such as just cheese and yogurt, out of fear of high blood sugar.  On the other end of the spectrum, if it wasn’t protein, it would be cookies or candy because my blood sugar would go low, and I was craving carbs and sugar so intensely. Needless to say all this combined, with a rigorous workout schedule was exhausting for my body. 

Thankfully, this year, along with some help from my Humalog, I have discovered a healthy eating plan that has lots of options and flexibility.  I focus on eating food that is nutritious and good for me yet balanced, such as scrambled eggs with spinich and toast, or vegetables and sweet potatoes with grilled chicken.  Just because of this, I have SO much more energy and feel healthier overall.  Over time I have realized that the key is balance and I think that applies to every area of life, not just food.